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Faculty Profiles

Jose M. Alamillo

Education

Ph.D., University of California, Irvine
M.A., University of California, Irvine
B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara

Biography

Dr. Alamillo was born in Zacatecas, Mexico and raised in Ventura County, California. His family worked in the year-round lemon industry which allowed him to attend local public schools uninterrupted. At middle school age, he took part in University of California, Santa Barbara's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and earned B.A. degrees in Sociology and Communication at UCSB. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Comparative Cultures at University of California, Irvine. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at University of California, Los Angeles’ Chicano Studies Research Center, he taught courses in Chicano/a Studies, Ethnic Studies, Immigration and Labor for nine years in the Department of Comparative Ethnic Studies at Washington State University.

Dr. Alamillo’s research focuses on the ways Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans have used culture, leisure, and sports to build community and social networks to advance politically and economically in the United States. His family’s experiences in the lemon industry inspired his first book, "Making Lemonade out of Lemons: Mexican American Labor and Leisure in a California Town, 1900-1960." He recently co-authored the first textbook on Latinos in Sport titled "Latinos in U.S Sport: A History of Isolation, Cultural Identity, and Acceptance." His current research project includes a transnational history of Mexican Americans in sports and the commercialization of Cinco de Mayo during the 20th century.

Dr. Alamillo brings a strong commitment towards building a dynamic Chicano/a Studies Program at CSU Channel Islands, one that offers an extensive curriculum with an interdisciplinary, transborder, international, and community service learning focus.

He has also worked closely with students and community groups in oral history projects and museum exhibitions and seeks to build bridges between CSUCI and surrounding Latino/a communities.